We Interrupt This Broadcast
by Jinngerbread
Summary: On the day the Empire is officially born, one woman must decide between the truth she's been told or what she believes is right. ROTS OC Fic. Completed! Please Read and Review :
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **We Interrupt This Broadcast ...   
**Author: **Layren  
**Timeframe: **ROTS ..  
**Summary: **On the day the Empire is officially born, one woman must decide between the truth she's been told or what she believes is right.   
**Characters: **OC's..  
**Genre: **Angst/Drama

"Mommy, Dilan stole my Jedi ship!" the four-year-old girl Ryli Ramiras wailed at the loss of her toy.

"Dilan, give it back," their mother Ashya Ramiras said looking harassed as she put up her hair. Ashya was a spunky, vivacious woman in her mid-thirties with curly blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She had three children. Her oldest, Dilan, was a six-year-old boy, her youngest was an infant of six months old and her daughter was the middle child. They were part of a middle class family on Coruscant.

"Girls don't play with ships," Dilan said pouting as he reluctantly gave up the starship.

"Today they do," Ashya said. She was doing her hair in the very trendy style started by Senator Padme Amidala. She was a successful Holo News reporter for the planet wide broadcasting company Coruscant Center Broadcasting Network and she had to always look her best. She hunted for more pins to put the braided hair up in buns. Their company had done exclusive coverage of the Separatist war ever since it started, beating out their main rivals in the business.

She had been one of the first to know about the Chancellor's disappearance about his rescue by the young Jedi, Anakin Skywalker. She had asked Skywalker for an interview and he had politely blushed and declined. Impeccable though Skywalker's manners had been, something about him made her uneasy. She shook herself from her reverie and glanced at the chrono. She would be late if she didn't hurry.

Her husband was putting on his tie and gathered his datapad and briefcase. Ronin Ramiras was the director of a successful company called Ramiras Transportation Systems. His company specialized in designing hyperdrives for smaller ships. He came into their refresher where his wife was doing her hair and kissed her cheek.

The children made loud sounds of disgust.

Ashya ignored them as she turned to kiss her husband back. "I hope you have a good day sweetheart."

"You too, dear. I might be late tonight if we have another order come through," he said regretfully.

She tweaked his tie. "I'll keep dinner warm for you. I love you, you big gundark."

He gave her a cocky grin. "I know." He waved and headed to his own speeder.

Ashya ushered her children to their speeder to take them to school and daycare. _/It's going to be a long day…/_

* * *

When she arrived at work after having dropped her children off, she found her office in an uproar.

"Ashya, where in the Force's name have you been?" Her boss, Mr. Paines, came hurrying out of his office looking very irritated.

_/Uh-oh…must be something big…/_

"I was dropping my children off, unless you'd rather they come to work with me," she said coolly. She had arrived right on time and she got yelled at.

His face turned slightly red with embarrassment as he realized that she was on time. "We've got something big going on and I need you to get to the bottom of it."

She sat down at her desk and sprayed her plants with water from her water bottle she kept by her desk. "What's the situation?" she asked nonchalantly.

"The situation is that Chancellor Palpatine is calling for a special session of the senate today. He called moments ago demanding one of our reporters come to the Senate chamber for a personal interview and to record his speech for prosperity," here he rolled his eyes.

"You're the only one I trust with this type of assignment," he said gruffly. I've heard from several sources that have been coming in all morning that Master Mace Windu is **dead**," he said. "The Jedi are staging some sort of rebellion and the Chancellor wants us to be the first to broadcast his response."

Her insides seemed to freeze. "The Jedi would never do that!"

He shook a warning finger in her face. "I know that your cousin Kyran Josel was a Jedi, Ashya, but just because he is a knight doesn't mean that they are all like him. Don't let your feelings get in the way of your job. Keep them to yourself," he warned.

"Your job is to find out what's going on and interview the Chancellor. You'll be first to receive a raise if you do a good job," he said smiling at her briefly.

Ashya blushed a little. "Thank you for your confidence in me, Sir. I won't let you down."

He nodded gruffly, all business again. "The Chancellor is sending his personal speeder to take you to his office in fifteen minutes. They will be at platform 21B."

"Understood, Sir," she replied. This was going to be an exciting day, that much was certain. She grabbed her personal holorecorder she always took with her on important interviews, her datapad and her water bottle. She checked her reflection in the mirror that was hanging on her office wall before hurrying to the lift tube to take her to the private docking bay. She had a job to do.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Ashya checked her reflection one last time before the Chancellor's private speeder arrived at the private Senate arena docking bay. Two guards cloaked in red stood waiting to greet her along with the Chancellor's personal assistant.

"Mrs. Ramiras, I am Late'ka Drinn, personal assistant to Chancellor Palpatine. Thank you for coming."

She nodded in greeting and held out her hand to shake which Ms. Drinn accepted. "It is a pleasure."

"The Chancellor has a limited amount of time for this interview. You have twenty minutes," Drinn continued as she took the reporter up to the Chancellor's private office.

"I understand," she glanced around taking in the lavish finery the Chancellor's office had to offer. Ashya turned on her holorecorder as the Chancellor entered. He looked horribly disfigured from the last time she had seen him and it took all of her control to avoid gasping, but she couldn't help the grimace that crossed her pretty features.

"Ahh, Mrs. Ramiras, a pleasure to see you again. Please, come and sit down," he said politely.

She took it as an order – his tone did not invite refusal. She sat across from him wondering where to begin._ /How did one begin the interview of a lifetime with a window of twenty minutes/_

"I assume you are appalled by my disfigurement," he began regretfully.

She jerked her head up from where she had been staring at her datapad and her face flushed. " My apologies, Chancellor. I am merely concerned fro your well being. You were only just rescued not long ago. If I may be so bold as to inquire how it happened?"

He chuckled, a harsh grating sound that caused the hair on the back of her neck to rise.

"You are a bold one," he said sounding quite delighted. "You have asked the question everyone else fears to ask this morning. I can see it you know – on their lips. But out of fear they refuse to ask. For your courage, I shall reward you with an answer."

Ashya waited breathlessly.

"Early last evening several Jedi Masters entered my office in attempt to assassinate me! I have no skill with a lightsaber but four of them came at me with their sabers drawn as if I were some sort of dangerous criminal."

Ashya gasped. "Surely they wouldn't!"

"Yes, my dear. The Jedi are traitorous. They have been plotting all along to over throw me," he said in a voice that sounded perilously close to a whine.

"What did you do? How did you escape?" she asked with eagerness.

Why eventually Master Windu dropped his blade and I picked it up. I had to defend myself you know. They were trying to kill me. I summoned my security and young Skywalker heard the commotion. He came to my aide once more and saved me from almost certain death," the last words were said in a whisper.

Ashya for once in her talkative life was completely speechless. Something wasn't right, but she couldn't put her finger on it. It seemed very unlikely to her that Master Mace Windu would be so clumsy and drop his blade and even more unlikely that the Chancellor with no lightsaber skills whatsoever could manage to stay alive against four seasoned Masters. There was a tale here – she just wasn't sure what.

Palpatine suddenly stood and walked toward his window. Maintenance droids had replaced the window almost as soon as Master Windu had broken it. "Ashya my dear, you seem preoccupied."

She colored and turned her attention back to her job, trying to push her conflicting feelings aside. "My apologies, Chancellor."

He waved a hand graciously. "It is of no concern. A Jedi rebellion is difficult to imagine, isn't it?" he said knowingly.

"I admit, I am having trouble understanding why they would try to kill you, Sir," she admitted.

He turned back to face her. "Those who are in power will do almost anything to keep it, Ashya. Surely you have heard this before. The Jedi are power hungry. They sit in their lofty tower and ignore the needs of society, while secretly plotting to take over and rule for themselves."

She furrowed a brow at that. "I have never heard that saying before but it does make sense."

He smiled coyly and Ashya had to stop her self from shuddering as he came closer to her. His smile was revolting. "I look forward to seeing your story on the HoloNews this evening. Correct me if I am wrong, but don't you have family among the Jedi?" he asked nonchalantly.

Her insides turned to ice. How did he know? Only trusted friends and her boss knew that information. "Yes. My cousin is a Jedi Master."

He nodded silently. "I thought I had remembered. Soon everything will be made clear. Things are not always as they seem. You seem ordinary, but I can tell you have a small amount of the Force in you. Trust your instincts. They will serve you well. If you will excuse me, I must prepare for my audience with the Senate." He stood, clearly indicating the end of the interview.

Ashya could not move for several long minutes. A cloaked guard came in to retrieve something for the Chancellor a few minutes later and found her staring into space. "Mrs. Ramiras?"

She shook herself from her reverie. "Yes?"

"The Chancellor's speech is about to start. All civilians are to be in the Senate arena."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Ashya walked the short distance from the Chancellor's office to the main meeting hall hurriedly. She passed a large window and glanced out. With some surprise and concern, she noticed that the Jedi Temple was still smoking. She had noticed the smoke on her way to work that morning, but being preoccupied with dropping her children off and getting to work on time, had pushed it out of her mind, assuming that it would be taken care of quickly.

/Was this what the Chancellor's reaction was to the Jedi rebellion/ She asked herself, her insides churning at the thought. _/Just who have we put in power/_ She quickly banished the thought, hoping that her cousin was alright. Though she didn't know him well, Ashya knew that she would not want anything to happen to him.

All too soon she reached the arena and began setting up her equipment. She watched the holorecorder count down the seconds until she was on the air.

_Five…four…three…two…one…ON AIR._

"We interrupt this broadcast to bring you special events happening at the Senate arena. Chancellor Palpatine has called a special session of the Senate and is due to make a speech here shortly. According to the Chancellor, four Jedi Masters were in a plot to assassinate him and carried out their plan early last evening. The assassination attempt failed and thankfully the Chancellor is still with us."

Ashya resisted the urge to grimace on air as the words left her. They sounded vile coming from her lips and left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Jedi Councilor Mace Windu was among the four. According to several sources, the Master was found dead early this morning. We will continue to keep you posted as events occur We will have live coverage throughout the Chancellor's speech."

Palpatine appeared on his podium which he raised to be over the crowd. Ashya angled her recorder to keep him in the picture and she backed out of the way to sit down behind the equipment.

It had a sound filter on the recorder that would enable her to drown out background noise that she pushed. Now it would only record the Chancellor's speech and what she spoke directly into the com headset she was wearing. Such a handy feature.

"My fellow leaders of democracy," Palpatine began to speak. "A terrible tragedy has occurred right here at home. I was nearly assassinated early last evening by four Jedi Masters!"

The Senators howled with righteous anger, demanding justice for the assassins.

"These Jedi murderers left me _scarred_…left me _deformed_…but they could not scar my _integrity_! They could not deform my _resolve_! The remaining traitors will be hunted down, rooted out wherever they may hide and be brought to justice! All collaborators will suffer the same fate! Those who protect the enemies become the enemies themselves! Now is the time! We will strike back! We will not allow this to continue! _Death to the enemies of democracy!_"

The Senators roared their approval.

Ashya was numb with disbelief. _/He sounds like a tyrant! I can't believe this. The Order has been around for over 1,000 years! Now because of a wrong act by four he seeks to crush all of them? What about the children? The young ones had nothing to do with this. Will Palpatine kill them too?._/ Her mouth tightened into a thin line. She heard movement above her and glanced up, straining to hear what was going on.

"What kept you?" a feminine voice asked.

Ashya recognized the speaker as Senator Amidala.

"I was held up," a man's voice replied. "This is all a lie. You know that don't you?"

"I don't know what to believe anymore," Amidala returned.

Ashya smiled a bit sadly. She didn't either and she understood how the Senator felt. She tuned back into the Chancellor's speech and her job.

"The war is over," Palpatine was saying. "The Separatists have been defeated and the Republic is free!"

_/General Kenobi must have killed General Grievous/_ Ashya realized. _/And Palpatine still thinks Jedi are traitors/_

"The Jedi Rebellion was our final test. We have left behind the Darkness that overshadowed us for a millennium. A new day… a new morning has begun."

"We will never be divided again. We will act with a single voice, a single hand. We will no longer let petty differences consume us. We must become an empire in fact as well as in name! _**We are the first Galactic Empire!**_"

The Senators went wild.

Ashya watched the speech with horror, no longer able to believe what she was hearing. She heard movement above her again as Bail Organa stood up in outrage.

"Don't they realize what they are cheering for?" he asked his companion.

_/Do they? I don't think they do… yet./_ Ashya could not bring herself to clap. She knew she should support the government as she had been raised…but this?

"We are an Empire ruled by a majority! An Empire ruled by a new constitution! We will be ruled by a single sovereign, chosen for life, never again to be manipulated by politics as we were in our former days! We will be an empire of laws not politics! We will be devoted to the safekeeping of a just society. We will stand secure for 10,000 years. We will henceforth celebrate this day as… Empire Day! As the new Emperor, I declare this a national holiday for everyone to celebrate the safety and justice for our children!"

Ashya got back in front of her recorder, unable to watch any longer. She spoke into the comlink headset. "The Chan..Emperor has declared this a national holiday. Based on the response of the Senators to the declaration of the new nation, we can all expect security for a long time to come. This is Ashya Ramiras, Happy Empire Day." She said and turned off the recorder. She could barely swallow. The words sounded foul and tasted like she swallowed ash. /How appropriate…the ash of the Republic./ She thought morosely. It was then that she noticed there were tears pouring down her cheeks.

"So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause." She heard Senator Amidala say.

_/I could not agree more, Senator./_

The Senate recessed so that all could enjoy the day. Numbly Ashya gathered her equipment.

"Bail, where are you going?"

"To a meeting. It's apparent that the Delegation of Two Thousand has a very large job ahead of it."

"May the Force be with you, Bail."

Ashya hurried to catch up to the Senator. She desperately needed to talk to someone who understood the full impact of the Chancellor's speech. "Senator Organa!" She called as she raced into the corridor, her equipment in tow.

He turned wondering who had spoken, looking harried.

"May I have a word completely off the record?" she asked.

He hesitated, looking wary.

"Please," she asked softly, well aware of the tear stains that were on her face.

He studied her for a few minutes as if gauging her sincerity and honesty, then his expression softened. "I am late for a meeting now, but here is where you can contact me," he handed her a flimsiplast.

She looked at the flimsiplast gratefully. She saw three sets of numbers…one of which was his personal encrypted com code. "Thank you," she said and meant it. "May the Force be with you."

He smiled sadly. "May it be with all of us."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

That night Ashya picked at her food more than she ate it. Ronin prattled on about the large order they had received from the Rep…Empire, she corrected herself that day.

Her mouth tightened into a thin line at the thought.

Her husband frowned and touched her arm causing her to jump in surprise. "Ashya? Are you alright?"

"Yes I'm fine, sweetheart," she replied absently.

"But I just said that we were going to Chandrila in two weeks and you didn't bat an eye," her husband said in concern.

She forced a smile and turned her attention back to her husband. "I'm sorry. I was just lost in my thoughts," she said warning him with a look not to say anymore about it while the children were listening.

He got the hint and dropped the subject.

Ashya was relieved hoping that they could return to normal dinner conversation, with no such luck.

"Mommy?" Dilan asked, breaking the silence. "What's an Empire?"

Ashya nearly choked on her tea. She looked at her son. /How do you explain Empire to a six-year-old/ She asked herself. /How do you explain that the government that we lived under is different.. that it doesn't exist anymore.. that we live under a dictator/ As Ashya reflected she realized her son should not know what an Empire was until he was older.

"I'll explain later," she said.

"When I'm older?" the boy asked in exasperation.

In spite of her mood, Ashya smiled at her son's innocence. "Yes," she replied as she stood to clear the dishes.

As she was doing the dishes she heard the com unit on the wall chirp. She could have had the dishes done by the cleaning droid, but dishes were only a simple problem. Focusing on a problem with a simple solution was soothing to her.

Ashya picked up the com after drying her sudsy hands. "Ashya Ramiras speaking," she said.

"Ashya, I'm sorry for bothering you, but I need help," her cousin's voice returned.

Ashya nearly gasped and she quickly turned on her comlink security encryption._ /What should I do/ _She wondered biting her lip. /_If I help him I could be declared an enemy of the state and be summarily executed. But.. how could I explain to my children that murder is wrong if I support an Empire that condones it/ _As she stood there debating, Kyran's voice came again.

"Ashya, are you there?"

"I'm here," she responded quickly. "What can I do to help?"

* * *

An hour later Ashya was pulling up to the back of a nondescript cantina on the lower levels of Coruscant. She was wearing a shawl over her curly blonde hair and she hid her eyes behind a dark pair of glasses even though it was night. Her cousin was waiting for her. He had changed since she saw him last. His normally blondish brown hair was black and he was dressed in civilian's clothes.

She arched a brow at him as he hopped into the speeder. "You look different."

"So do you," he said pointedly.

Ashya blushed. "Sorry, I'm just not used to seeing you in civilian's clothes. What happened?" she asked worriedly.

"I was on an undercover mission and on my way back to Coruscant. I had just reentered atmosphere when I got Obi-Wan's message that the Temple was under siege and that hundreds of Jedi had been slaughtered," his mouth tightened into a thin line and his eyes misted slightly. "Including the younglings," he said swallowing hard.

Ashya gasped and nearly jerked the speeder off the road. "What? The younglings were slaughtered too?" She asked in astonishment. She felt numb with grief. Parents gave their children to the order so that they would become Jedi and protect the Republic. They were told that it was for the good of the Republic.. that their child would serve others and the greater good. Now.. their sacrifice was wasted. She waited for him to continue with bated breath.

"I knew it wasn't safe to go back to the Temple, but before I could turn around to replot a course to somewhere else to hide, I was fired on. The shot hit my left wing and I was forced to make a rather abrupt landing."

Ashya gave him a critical glance out of the corner of her eye. "Are you injured?" she asked in concern.

"Just a bit banged up and my right ankle may be sprained,' he replied, moving it gingerly and wincing at the sudden pain as he moved it.

"I'll let you have the guest room," she said as she pulled up to their house.

Kyran carefully got out of the speeder and followed her into the house. "The children are asleep," she whispered. "The bedroom should have everything you need. There are towels in the closet by the bathroom and a medkit in there too," she said. "Is there anything else you need?"

Kyran shook his head and gripped her arm before she could disappear into her own room. "Ashya… I …" he swallowed. "You don't know how much I appreciate this. Thank you," he said softly.

Ashya's features softened. There was raw emotion in the Jedi's voice. He had lost everyone he knew and cared about . The Jedi were his family just as much as her children and husband were hers, and they had been slaughtered by the command of a cruel dictator. "I'm truly sorry that this is all I can do for the Jedi," she said softly.

He looked away briefly before regaining his composure. "It is more than enough," he replied. "Good night, Ashya."

She whispered the same back and quietly closed the door to her room.

"Is the Jedi alright?" Ronin asked in concern. He was already in bed, reading a holobook.

"Yes," she said as she changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed beside her husband. She had not realized she was crying until her husband put down his book. He gently wiped her tears away and embraced her. She felt warm and safe in his arms. Nothing could hurt her while her husband's arms protected her and slowly Ashya drifted into an uneasy sleep.

Perhaps in the morning, things would look better.

* * *

The next few days passed without great incident. Ashya was extremely careful not to let it slip that her cousin was visiting. She lectured the children severely not to tell anyone. She knew the consequences if they were caught. She hated to place her family in such danger, but she and Ronin had agreed to help. They could not condone a government that murdered it's innocent citizens.

She had picked her children up from school and daycare not long ago, and they were heading home for the evening. The children prattled on about their day and Ashya smiled in amusement as they argued over the use of the holoproj for that evening.

She ushered the children in the house when they arrived and hung her two oldest children's bags by the front door, forgetting to put her infant's down also. With the baby's bag still in her hand she headed to the kitchen. She put the diaper bag down by the back door and checked to make sure there were plenty of diapers and formula for Ranya, her infant. Satisfied that there were still plenty of both to last a few days, she began to turn her attention to dinner.

Just then Kyran poked his head out of the room she had given him. He came into the kitchen and slid onto a stool. "Anything I can help with?" he asked softly.

Ashya smiled at him. "You can chop these if you're interested." She didn't really need the help, but the last few days, Kyran had been determined to help and not to be a burden to them for hiding him.

If truth be told, she knew Kyran grieved deeply for the loss of the Jedi and the Republic. Doing tasks around the house seemed to give him a sense of comfort.

Kyran took the vegetables from her and began chopping them. Ashya watched him while he worked. He moved with the grace of a seasoned chef and quickly made short work of them. He happened to notice her baby's bag on the small table by the back door and arched a brow in silent query.

"I don't know why I put that there," she confessed. "I just … did."

He frowned deeply at that information. She wondered why he was so upset about it. "I can move it, if it's in the way."

He shook his head negative. "No it's fine, I was just thinking, wondering why you moved it."

She shrugged apologetically. "No reason."

He looked thoughtful as he began to gather dishes to set the table. He limped on his ankle, though it was healing after he had splinted it and used a bit of Force healing.

Soon supper was ready and her husband came in. He kissed her and sniffed appreciatively. "Smells wonderful, sweetheart. What's the occasion?"

Ashya swatted him playfully. "I do cook once in awhile, remember?"

He chuckled before going to his study to put his briefcase down. He headed back into the kitchen moments later to wash his hands.

With a smile on her face, Ashya called her family to dinner.

That night Ashya and Ronin made love more passionately than they had in some time. He snuggled up close next to her husband relishing in the warmth and security she had of the moment.

"Have I told you how much I love you today?" she asked her husband playfully.

"I think so," he said with a smile as he bent to nibble her ear.

She mock pouted. "I did?"

He laughed and tweaked one of her tight curls. "Yes, but I wouldn't mind hearing it again."

She giggled. "I love you, you big gundark."

He bent to kiss her lips, entangling them with his own.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Ashya awoke just before dawn. Her husband was still sleeping soundly and she smiled in the darkness watching him. His hair fell across his forehead and very gently she brushed it out of the way. She peered at the chrono by her bedside. She still had a good two standard hours to go before it went off. She wasn't sure why she was awake, especially this early.

_Thwap. Thwap Thwap. Thwap. Thwap. _

She frowned hearing the noise and strained to see in the darkness.

_Thwap. Thwap Thwap. Thwap. Thwap._

The sound was coming at regular intervals. Was the faucet in the refresher leaking, she wondered somewhat drowsily. She slid out of bed to go check.

No. It wasn't the faucet.

She peered outside the window as she came back to the bed and what she saw made her heart stand still.

At least a dozen troopers were marching down her street. With a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, she shook her husband.

"Ronin! Get up! Palpatine has found us!" She said panicking. She hurried to get dressed in the dark. Maybe there was a chance they could slip out the back kitchen door. She was grateful now that she had put her baby's bag by the door there. One less thing to worry about.

Her husband nearly leapt out of bed at the urgency in her voice. "Sithspit, how could they have discovered we are hiding a Jedi so soon?"

"I don't know! Maybe they have been searching for him since his ship was shot down," Ashya replied worriedly.

"Get the children," Ronin snapped at her.

Ashya ran into the corridor and to her children's adjoining bedrooms. "Ryli! Dilan, wake up!" she barked, dragging them out of bed when they were slow to respond.

"But mommy, I'm still sleepy," Dilan said yawning. "What's going on?"

"No time, Dilan," she said hurriedly while dressing her son. "Get to the back kitchen door and wait for me while I get your sisters."

Dilan did as he was told hearing the urgency and fright in his mother's voice. He had never heard his mother talk to him like that before.

Coming to her daughter's room, she found Kyran already there helping her get ready. "Ryli, get to the back door with Dilan!" She ordered, a fierce sense of protectiveness rising in her.

She ran to Ranya's crib and snatched her daughter up along with everything she could carry for her. She ran to the back door where she stuffed the diaper bag full of the supplies in her arms.

Ashya peered out the window again. She estimated they had five minutes. Maybe less.

She opened the back door and Ronin appeared with Kyran. The Jedi was holding his saber at the ready, the teal blade glowing in the darkness, and her husband had two blasters.

"Ronin, what are you doing?" She asked. "Hurry and come on!"

He bit his lip and shook his head. "Ashya, I can't."

"What are you talking about?" She asked worriedly. "Ronin?"

"I can't come with you."

"Of course you can! You're my husband! I need you to be with me to raise our children!" She said thickly. Tears began trailing down her cheeks.

"I can't Ashya. It is my duty to protect my family. The best way I can do that is to give you time to get the children out safely." He handed her an envelope filled with untraceable currency.

"Where did you get this?" Ashya asked, thunderstruck.

"Our savings account," he explained sadly. "I suspected something like this might happen when Kyran first came to us, so I took precautions before our assets were frozen. The Jedi and I talked it over and we agreed it's for the best and he would need backup."

He embraced her and kissed her with passion. "You are still the most wonderful woman I know. I love you."

Tears were falling faster now as one last time she returned his love. "Ronin.." she said. "Please…"

"This is for the best Ashya. In time, you'll realize it too."

"I love you, you big gundark," she whispered through the lump in her throat, struggling not to break down entirely.

"I know," he thumbed her tears away one last time. "Go," he urged.

The sounds of breaking glass came from the foyer. Their time had run out.

Giving her husband one last, pleading look that he would change his mind, she hurried out the door, the children's bags jolting against her as she ran. Ryli was having trouble keeping up and was falling behind. She scooped her daughter up.

Dilan could keep up. He always had been a fast runner.

"Mommy!" Dilan shrieked.

Ashya panicked. Dilan wasn't at her side like she had thought. She shrieked and whirled around. "Dilan!" Her son had a blaster in his hand. How he had gotten it she could only guess. She took several steps towards him before she saw the troopers advance on her son. She ducked behind a building clutching her daughters watching with horrified eyes as they surrounded him.

The air was thick with the smell of ozone and the sounds of blaster fire. "Take him," a trooper ordered.

A trooper picked up her son and he fired the blaster, freeing himself.

Ashya jammed her fist in her mouth to stifle her cry. /Someone help.. please… anyone…save him… save him/

A teal glow alerted her to a possible savior. The Jedi! Kyran! Brandishing a lightsaber and a blaster, Kyran and Ronin, both rushed to the child's aide.

Dilan was struggling, fighting against another as they picked him up and swung him over his body like a sack of dung. "Take him to training camp five."

_/Training camp../_ Ashya wondered what that was all about.

She could barely see through her tears. Her daughters were both crying in her arms. Her hopes of a savior were shattered as she heard Kyran and Ronin's refusal to surrender.

With growing dread, she turned her daughter's eyes away as the troopers surrounded her family and opened fire. She jammed her fist again into her mouth to stifle her scream. She could barely think.. could barely breathe. Ronin and Kyran fell soundlessly, the lightsaber falling from the Jedi's grip and clinking off on the ground. "Lord Vader will be interested in this," a trooper commented.

"Take it back to him. Burn the house and the bodies."

Ashya was close to a nervous collapse. Her daughters were still crying in her arms and the sound finally jarred her out of her panic. _/You can fall apart later, Ashya. Pull yourself together or their sacrifice will be for nothing./_ Gathering her thoughts, she furrowed a brow.

First things first…a place to hide. She had to find some out of the way abandoned place to stay for a few days. She would not endanger any other family like this. No one deserved this. Once she found a place to hide, she could lie low for a few days and plan her next move. Yes, that sounded adequate.

With her daughters clutched tightly in her arms and her children's satchels on her back, she began walking into the first rays of morning light.

A new day had begun.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Several days later, Ashya Ramiras felt like a different person, which she essentially was with all the changes to her appearance as she was hiding from the Empire. She had the tight spiral curls that were in her hair, professionally straightened and her hair color was now a rich chestnut brown. She had several illegitimate contacts through her various investigations and had been given a new identity by one of the best ID forgers on Coruscant.

She glanced at her ID and the picture. The name now read Toryn Farr and she admired how different she looked from the holopic she had of her and her husband.

She mused about the future while she fed her youngest daughter a bottle. They were currently staying in a hotel in a sleazy neighborhood where she dared not let the children out alone on the streets. It wasn't safe here, but that didn't much matter to Ashya now.

Nothing was safe anymore. Not as long as Palpatine was alive.

She hated the Empire. She wanted to rip out the monster that sustained it. The same monster that gave it Life, as it took her husband, her son and her cousin.

She knew many women like her had lost their sons and cousins during the Temple massacre and with all her heart she wanted to fight back.

Her cousin often told her that hate lead to suffering, but she was already suffering and the Jedi were dead, his wisdom not having saved him when he needed it. She wanted to use this anger and hurt the Empire that had ruined so many lives already like hers.

She was shuffling in her baby's bag for a burp rag when she came across a folded flimsiplast. /What is this/ she wondered as she took it out and unfolded it.

Ashya nearly gasped, realizing what it was – Senator Bail Organa's contact information. Biting her lip, she looked it over as she found the rag and began to burp her daughter.

She remembered why she had put it there. One day after school Dilan had wanted sweet snow from their favorite shop. She had pulled the flimsy out of her pocket that day and had jammed it into Ranya's bag as she pulled out her credits. /You may have saved us with that sweet snow, my son/ she thought, tears forming in her eyes as she thought about him. He was lost to her, but she would fight the enemy who took him until her last breath.

Her soul yearned to see her son again, but she knew that those carefree days were gone.

She remembered something she heard Senator Organa say. 'The delegation of two thousand has it's work cut out for it…' Was there already a rebellion forming?

She had to know. If there was already a group dedicated to rooting out the black that had overcome the Republic and her family, then she would. She would do whatever it took to get her son back and Palpatine out of office.

Hesistantly she pushed the code on her secure comlink for Bail Organa's private comlink.

"Organa," he answered.

Chewing her lip, Ashya was suddenly overwhelmed by doubt and the enormity of the task in rooting out the Empire. What if there really wasn't a rebellion and she got caught and Senator Organa got in trouble? She couldn't live with herself if she brought trouble on him like she had herself.

"Is anyone there?" he asked.

"Senator Organa, this is Ashya Ramiras. I'm sorry for bothering you."

She could feel his surprise. "How can be of service, Mrs. Ramiras?"

Ashya's throat constricted at the sound of her married name. Her voice was unsteady when she replied, "Is this a secure channel?"

She heard the wariness in the Senator's voice when he replied, "Yes. What can I be of help with?"

"May we talk about the Delegation of Two Thousand?" she blurted, before realizing abruptly that probably wasn't the smartest thing to say.

"I'm afraid that topic is off limits to the press,' he said a trifle coldly.

"Please!" she cried, more to stop him from signing off than anything. "Is it off limits to a broken wife and mother?"

Something in his voice softened and when he spoke his tone was kind and gentle even. "No, of course not," he said compassionately. "Is there somewhere you can meet for a more private conversation?"

Ashya named a time and a cantina that she used to visit during her news investigations. The place was ideal for private conversation.

"I'll be there shortly," he promised.

Ashya got off the comlink feeling both uplifted and nervous. She would leave the children after she put them to bed. They would be safe enough if she locked the door.

Maybe, just maybe, there would be a new hope for her family after all.


	7. Chapter 7

**Epilogue**

Twenty-two years later and Toryn Farr was no longer young. The years had been kind to her, however and she kept her age well. Her involvement with the Rebel Alliance through the years had given her a purpose for living and continuing on, in spite of her difficulties. She had done well for herself and her two daughters, both of whom were now grown and loyal fighters in the Alliance.

She had advanced through the years to become the Alliance's Chief Controller of Operations. It was her job now to make sure that commanders and the ground troops received the right orders and she acted as the interface between command and the ion cannon gunners.

She brushed some snow out of her hair as she arrived for her shift. She was in charge of monitoring the activity surrounding the system of Hoth where the Rebels were currently hiding from the Empire.

She was in a somber mood today, which wasn't that unusual as the Empire continued tightening it's grip against its citizens, but today was a special day.

On this day twenty-two years ago, she had lost her husband, son and her cousin to the Empire.

Her heart clenched in her chest painfully as she tried to dispel the memories that threatened to overwhelm her.

_/If only you know how much I miss you./_

She looked around briefly, before going to her seat and she noticed that Princess Leia was standing nearby.

Toryn caught the Princess's eye and smiled weakly, trying to hide the turmoil she felt.

Seeing Leia leading the Rebellion in her father's place was both encouraging and disheartening at the same time. Encouraging because of the new generation that Leia represented—that there was still hope for the Empire to be defeated. Disheartening because Leia also represented what she had lost.

Leia came over to her monitor and studied the display. "Are you alright, Toryn?" She asked.

Toryn sighed a little and wiped her eyes. "Not really, but I will be once Palpatine is out of office."

Leia's look became understanding and she touched her shoulder gently. "I feel the same," she replied softly.

They had talked many times and Toryn considered Leia as dear a friend of hers as her father had been. She knew the guilt Leia still felt for her role in Alderaan's destruction, but she hid it well. The job that mattered was fighting the Empire. They could grieve when this was over. "Your father would be very proud of you, Princess."

Tears formed in Leia's brown eyes. "And your family would be proud of the job you do as well."

Toryn looked up at the monitor, to distract herself and her gaze hardened as she saw a blip on the monitor that represented a ship. The Empire had found them. "We will honor their sacrifice by continuing on. They won't beat us."

Leia nodded in agreement and eyed the monitor as well. "That they won't. I'll go alert General Riekan," she said as she hurried off.

Toryn watched her go anxiously. She tore her gaze away from the direction the Princess had left and stared at the monitor again.

The ships were drawing closer. She readied her mind for the upcoming battle that she knew would follow.

* * *

Several minutes later, General Riekan came in and her sector became a riot of feverish activity as Riekan outlined his strategy. Troops were preparing to fight and her job was to get all personnel out safely.

She watched on the monitor as the first transport was leaving, with it's precious cargo of Rebel Alliance personnel.

"Stand by, Ion Control," she directed.

The ships were about to intersect.

Today she would honor her family as she fought against the Empire. In fighting, they would continue to be honored and remembered. /For you Ronin, Kyran and Dilan./ She thought.

_/I love you./_

"Fire."

**The End.**


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